Plastic tie.



yL. ESTELL. I PLASTIC TIE.

APPUCATION FILED JUNE 13, |916 1,21 8,537. Patentd M3116, 1917,

onirica,

` LEwIs EsTELL, 0E MANASQUAN, NEW JERSEY.

PLASTIC TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ea Mar. e, 1917.

Application filed June 13, 1915. Serial No. 193,502.

To all whom t may concern.' y

Be it known that I, Lnwrs ESTELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manasquan, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plastic Ties, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in reinforced plastic ties for railway rails.

In carrying out my invention fit is'my purpose to construct a tie for'railway rails comprising two sections which interlock with each other so as to effectively connect the sections but also whereby one of the sections will bey permitted a limited vertical movement with respect to the other section so that either of the said sections may yield independently when subjected to the weight of the rolling stock passing thereover and also whereby the breaking or disintegration of the tie sections incident to the impact of force from suchv shock and jar will be minimized, if not entirely overcome. i

It is also my purpose to produce a reinforced plastic tie having a substantially knuckle-joint connection and being provided with metallic contact plates at their said sections, whereby the plastic body of one of the sections will not rub against or contact with the plastic surfaces of the other section and so preventthe Wearing of the sections at the meeting portions thereof, and to further provideresilient means, in the nature of a metal member, for normally holding the sections in alinement.

It is a still further object of the invention to produce a two-piece tie, the members of which hafving an interlocking engagement one with the other and to arrange upon each of thev sections simple means for effectively securing the rails to the sections, said means valso serving to reinforce the said sections.

With the above and other objects in view the improvement resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a top plan view of a tie constructed in accordance with the present proximately on the line 3-3 of F ig. 2,

Fig. ais a perspective view ofthe end of one of the tie sections, and

F ig. 5 isa similar view of the confront- `ing end of the second section.

As disclosed by the drawino' the plastic tie embodies two sections land 2 respectively,each of which being molded to providea horizontally flat upper surface 3, a fiat lower surface or base l and inclined sidesj connecting the upper surface or top 3 with the base or bottom 4l. The base is, of course, of a greater width than the top 3, and embedded within each of thel sections adjacent thev corners thereof are longitudinallyL extending -reinforcing members 6 and 7. -Thjese members are'preferably in the nature of twisted rods .and the 'lower members 7 ofthe section ll have their ends rounded upwardly at the inner end of the said section, while the upper reinforcing members-6 of the section -2 have their ends rounded `downwardly at-the inner end of this section. One ofthe ends of the section 2 is formed to provide what may be termed a knuckle member, the :same including a downwardly extending Vtransverse head 8 and aredu'ced'neck portion 9 connecting the head with-the end of thetie proper. The head? is of a less width than-the tie section '2, at the lower portion thereof, and the neck is of a less width' than `the head. To lreceive the head and neck of the knuckle member of the tie I form the inner end of the section l with a laterally vextendingtransverse pocket 10 and I channelthe' said tie from 4its ,end to the pocket as indicated b the numeral ll, the width and depth of the channel being of a size to receive the sides and lower face of the neck 9 and the width and depth of the pocket vbeing of a size to receive the sides and lower face of the neck 9 and the width and depth of the pocket being also of a size to receive the depending head 8 of the said section 2. Between the vertical walls of the shoulders provided by the interengaging members at the connected ends of the sections, I arrange spacinv' ola-tes 12 constructed of metal and deber 19.

ders of the said sections contacting. Also, if desired, the horizontal walls or surfaces Y at the said interengag'ing ends of the tie sections, may have arranged therebetween, plates either of metalv or compressible material to provide a cushion between these surfaces or to provide filler members for positively sustaining` the upper` faces of the sections flush.

rEhe tie section 1, adjacent the inner vertical wall provided by the pocket 10 has pivotally secured thereto, as at 13, a flat spring plate 14 and this plate is of a size to be swung over the top of the tie section 2 when the sections are assembled and will hold the said'sections in proper alinement. lt is to be understood that the head and neck of the knuckle member at the end 0f the tie section 2 are comparatively loosely received within the channel and the pocket of the tie section 1; that is, while the sides of the neck and head contact with the side walls of the channel and pocket and either of the sections will be permitted a limited vertical movement independent ofthe other section, so that the shock and jar delivered to the sections by the impact of force of the rolling stock passing thereover will be yieldably received by the sections of the tie and so the danger of breakage or disintegration of the tie sections by such impact r.of force will be greatly reduced, if notentirely obviated.

1n addition to the reinforcing members 6 and 7 I provide each of the sections 1 and 2 at a suitable distance from 'the outer ends of the sections, with transverse reinforcements in the nature of bolts 15, two of which being arranged in spaced relation to each other upon each of the sections 1 and 2 and these reinforcing -members 15 are disposed to Ithe opposite sides of plates 16 let in the top of the sections 1 and 2 and which provide rests for the rails 17. At the Vopposite sides of the plates 16, and disposed diagonally opposite each other are vertically arranged Vslots 1S and within each of these slots is disposed the shank of a hook mem- The lower end of each of these hooks is provided with an eye through which is passed one of thereinforcing members 15 and wedge members 20 are forced within the slots 18 to contact with one of the sides of the hook members to force the same in the direction of the rails and to cause the ends of 'the said rhook members to engage with the edges as well as the upper faces of the base flanges of the rails 17 and thus it will be noted that a simple but thoroughly effective manner is provided for securing the rails to the tie.

In addition to the advantages set forth in detail in the foregoing description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which such inventions appertain that my improvement in ties not only embodies all of lthe desirable features of an ordinary wood en tie, but that the same can be cheaply constructed and as provision is made for the resiliency and yieldability thereof, the life of the tie should be ofV a greater duration'V lic tie, while still again the laying of the ties will be greatly facilitated inasmuch as the weight of either of the section-s will not be too great to permit of the handling of Vone of the said sections by a track hand of ordinary strength.

Having thus described the invention, what from its upper face provided with a trans-V verse pocket and having a channel communicating between the pocket and end of the section to receive the head and neck of the first mentioned section, metal reinforcements for the sections, and rail engaging hooks associated with the said reinforcements.

2. A plastic tie comprising' Itwo sections, one of said sections, at its inner end from its top face being formed with an outwardly extending substantially rectangular neck and with a laterally disposed head connecting the neck and projecting below the neck, 'the other section having adjacent its inner end and upon its upper face, a transverse pocket shaped to receive the head of the first mentioned section, and theV said second mentioned section beingV further provided with a longitudinal channel to receive the neck of the first mentioned section, Vmetal plates between'the .meeting-ends of the sections, and metal reinforcements for thesections including transverse members.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS ESTELL.

Witnesses LBENJ. B. PEARGE, ARTHUR M. BIRDSALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

V than that of the ordinary wooden or metal- 

